CALENDARS
Traditional vs. Modified
The pie charts below compare the distribution of instructional days and days out of session on the nine-month traditional calendar vs. the distribution of school days on a balanced or modified calendar. Weekends are excluded from the charts, with both models represening a standard school year of 180 days.
Traditional
The traditional calendar features a summer vacation of 12 weeks followed by an extended period of instructional days, with the first break coming at Thanksgiving. The winter holidays are followed by 55 instructional days before a short spring break. Spring break is followed by 40 instructional days before the end of the school year. |
Modified
The balanced calendar reduces the long summer break and simply apportions those days throughout the school year, producing more frequent breaks and thus limiting long periods of in-session days, as well as longer vacations. Both calendars feature 180 days of instruction, with the modified calendar balancing the frequency of in-session days with days on break. The winter break and Thanksgiving break can be the same on both calendars.